Coffee Shops Today

What makes coffee shops such a big hit? Is it only the love for coffee, or something else? Let’s try to find out the answer in the following article.

The coffee culture spawned by the mushrooming coffee shops
Even a quarter century ago, coffee was not a part of American culture in the sense it was part of Italian culture. Thanks to the springing up of an array of coffee chains – especially the Starbucks – today coffee shops are the number one social hangout in the country and coffee has become an integral part of the urban American culture.

The distinct ambience of the coffee shops
You may find those in your friend circle who are not coffee connoisseurs, yet they have developed a kind of obsession for their local coffee shops. Ask them and most of them will tell you that it is the ambience that attracts them with the irresistible appeal.

What creates the ambience?
Just think about your nearest Starbuck – the plush lounge sofas, the music, the dramatic lighting, the men and women in various age groups around you and to top it all, the unparalleled aroma of freshly brewed coffee – all make the people coming back to their favorite coffee shops time and again.

Coffee shops – past versus present
Today’s coffee shops offer you an altogether different service and atmosphere than their predecessors in the 1960’s or 70’s. The coffee shops or to be more precise, the coffee houses of the yesteryears essentially associated with serving coffee and tea accompanied by light snacks like pastries and muffin. One of the interesting features of the coffee shops in the late 50’s and 60’s was: Church officials used the coffee shops as an informal platform for teaching Bible. The trend however did not sustain for long.

In today’s coffee shops the central theme is still coffee, but those in the USA and around the world offer many things more. Today, many coffee shops are more in the nature of social hangouts for the young people who are prohibited under US law to enter a bar.

But not only the younger generation enjoy java joints – just peep inside any of the Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts at different times of the day and you will find the place filled with different strata of people including the corporate hunches in savvy business suits to young students having a blast.

Coffee shops entering the internet age
The character of Coffee shops as a place for sharing information and communication was further reinforced with the ushering of internet era – from now on free Wi-Fi internet connection became the usual part of coffee shops just like telephone or newspapers were the part of previous generation coffee shops.

Today’s coffee shops are much more than places for selling coffee; with Wi-Fi connection, accessory selling counters, live music bands and so on they make a clear socio-political statement – they are the modern melting pot of cultures.